The Hero Reborn
by tsuchihana
Summary: Stoic felt his heart stop and his breath seize in his throat. Vikings don't cry. It was a rule, especially if your stoic the vast. There was nothing less masculine then showing emotion, however in this case stoick was sure the gods would forgive him. (not a character death I swear)
1. Chapter 1

_**The Hero Reborn**_

_**Chapter 1: The Fallen**_

Stoick watched in horror as the large dragon queen plummeted to the ground. Hiccup and his dragon still flying inches away from her now flaming jaws. He watched frozen to the spot as hiccup shot back toward the queens almost falling into her mouth.

However at the last minute he maneuvered around her and began to fly up, scaling the large mountain of a dragon.

When the beast finally collided with the ground she erupted. The sound that emitted from the explosion was almost deafening, to the point where stoick had to cover his ears and duck his had in an attempt to relieve the tremendous pressure on his eardrums.

Fire erupted into the sky in the shape of a large mushroom, the flames heat melting some of the swords and axes that lay abandoned on the rocky field in the Vikings mad dash to the boats. Stoick could feel his arms begin to develop sun burns as he used them to shield his face.

He struggled to breath in the thick cloud of smoke that slithered its way into his lunges and threatened to choke him.

The feeling was so intense stoick was sure he was going to die. However after a few short minutes the flames died down and the smoke, although still thick in the air, began to thin out enough for him to breath.

Stoick let his arms fall down to his sides as he took in the scene that lay before him. Ash was raining down from the sky like snow and a thin layered already coated the ground. The sky was blocked by smoke as it rose to blot out the sun. Large chunks of charred bones and dragon meat lay across the field, some still burning. Looking behind him he saw his people beginning to right themselves as they realized that the explosion had ceased.

Then stoick felt his blood run cold as he thought of where hiccup was when the large dragon met the ground. Turning he began running full pelt in the direction he thought the dragon had landed. Thousands of gruesome thought ran through his head as he dashed through the ash and smoke. Shaking them out of his head he trying to focus himself on finding his son amidst to rumble, but one thought kept running through his mind, _Please don't let him be dead, please let him be alive._

When he reached the lower part of the rocky gray beach he spotted a figure lying atop the ash a little ways ahead. Feeling hope raise in his chest he sprinted towards it. As he drew closer to the dark figure he could make out the shape of the night fury his son had been riding. Stoick felt his hopes soar and begin to restore function to his frozen heart as he approached the dragons still form.

But as he drew near he realized that hiccup was not on the dragon back, he was nowhere in sight.

Stoick felt his knees give out from underneath him as his hopes came crashing down. The dragon sensed the large man's presence and lifted his somber head, fixing it's large yellows eyes on the chief.

"is he…oh Odin please no…is he…. " Stoic struggled to say the word because he knew as soon as it left his lips it would be like putting the final nail in the coffin, that reality would come crashing in with sharp force.

The chief swallowed hard past the lump that had formed in his throat. The dragon seemed to understand his struggle. The unspoken question lay like thick smoke in the air. Slowly the night fury unfurled his long black wings and lying curled up in the dragon's arms was the pale and battered figure of his rider….and red.

There was blood everywhere. It pooled around the boy like a large pond. It was thick and smelled of iron. It poured slowly out of his left leg, which was twisted at an impossible angle.

"NO, NO, NO" stoick yelled in anguish as he reached for the lifeless for of his only son, removing him from the dragons gentle grasp, not caring when blood covered his arms and hands.

When stoick lifted the boy the bottom half of his leg almost came clean off as it dangled by small strands of skin and muscle tissue.

Stoick wrenched his helmet of and shoved his large head into his son's bird cage of a chest. Listening, hoping, searching for the small beating sound that would indicate life.

But no matter how hard or long he pushed his head against the boy's chest he was meet with nothing but silence. The once bright and determined boy was now a hollow shell. Stoic felt his heart stop and his breath seize in his throat. Vikings don't cry. It was a rule, especially if your stoic the vast. There was nothing less masculine then showing emotion, however in this case stoic was sure the gods would forgive him.

He felt the large hot drops leak from his tightly shut eyes as he rocked his boy to his chest.

Hiccup was all he had had left but in his idiotic stubbornness he'd said such cruel things to him, and he'd never get the chance to apologize, to make up for it, for everything.

Stoick only now realized how foolish he'd been now that his precious boy lay lifeless and bleeding in his arms. It felt like an eternity that he sat there holding the child when he heard a commotion behind him. Turning his large head he looked to see the rest of the villagers, Astrid in particular, crying. Crying for the boy they'd barely known, let alone liked.

Anger weld up in the chiefs chest. 'how dare they' he thought furiously ' how dare they, they who never knew him, they who treated him with such contempt'.

However this thought made the once proud chief look away from his fellow villagers in shame, after all hadn't he done the same? To his own son no less, his own son who'd had no one else to turn to.

Had it really been so bad that the only one who would ever understand the boy and love him was his enemy? Not even his own people had given him that. His greatest enemy had given his son what he had not, and for that stoic felt ashamed, to the point is felt like his soul might tear in half.

Uneven footsteps echo in the silence beside stoick and a large hand fell on the chiefs broad shoulders in a comforting gesture. Lifting his head he saw tears falling for his best friends eyes, Gobber had practically raised the boy after all and thought of hiccup as his own son in away.

"Stoick I'm….I'm so sorry" Gobber managed to choke out. "He died a hero…..and a better man then all of us, hiccup was a true Viking"

Gobber looked over the small boy tucked in his friend's arms. Hiccup looked so peaceful, almost as if asleep, but those vivid green eyes would never open again, that quirky mouth would never utter another sarcastic remark. And he would never know just how much he was loved.

Another pair of shoes could be heard approaching the two Vikings. And a man cleared his throat in an almost awkward manner.

"I'm sorry for your loss chief. He was a brave man." Spitlout said his face looking grim. "And I'm sorry to disturb your moment of grief but, sir, the ships have been destroyed, how do we plan on returning to Berk?" he asked feeling guilt for bringing this up when the chief was obviously in no shape to be helping anybody.

"oh for Thor's sake could you give the man a few minutes, he just lost his son" Gobber said fighting the urge to bludgeon the man.

"No, he's right. As the chief I need to think of the needs of my people, and right now that means finding a way of this island and back home." Slowly stoick rose from his spot in the ashes and, with hiccup still clutched firmly in his arms, he turned to address his people. "We need to salvage what's left of the boats and construct a vessel big enough to bring a fare few of us back at a time. Astrid and the others can help fly a few people back with their dragons. We need to be off this island in the next few days."

When stoic spoke his voice was filled with cold steal but to the trained ear, like Gobber, he could here all the emotion just barely being held back by a small barrier. "For now set up camp."

With that said stoick turned back to where the night fury lay still covered in a thin layer of ash. Stoic regarded the creature and big yellow saucer eyes stared back almost as if considering whether or not to trust this man.

Stoick walked forward and bent down next to the dragon, placing a large chubby fingered hand on its black scaly head. Stoic looked into those intense eyes searching for an answers to a questions he wasn't even aware of.

The dragon stared back, intelligence and sorrow pooling together. If dragons could cry stoic was sure there would have been tears coming out of its large eyes.

"Thank you, thank you for being there for him….in a way I never could. Thank you for loving my son, thank you." Stoick almost started crying again as the dragon listen to his words.

Toothless pushed himself up onto his short legs with some difficulty as he struggled to maintain his balance through the pain coarsening through his body. Turning its large head the dragon sniffed at the body of his fallen rider and stoic could have sworn he heard a cry like moan escape its jaws.

Toothless rubbed his head against the cheek of the small Viking whining like an animal in pain. And in that moment stoick finally understood what his son had seen in this creature. It ability to comprehend the situation was amazing and its eyes were alight with such intelligence it was almost frightening, but it moved with grace and dignity.

Toothless truly was a noble creature. And the chief was all that once stricken with deep respect for the dragon that had been his son's greatest friend, and grief that his son would never ride his dragon again.

Stoick's eye's moved to the dragons back and tail. The saddle was badly damaged, with angry black scorch marks covering most of its once maple brown surface.

Stoick followed the wires connecting from the saddle, down the length of the dragon's body down to the tip of its tail with his eyes. It was then that he noticed the missing tail fin.

All that was left of the handmade leather tail fin was hot metal bars bent and twisted in various directions, almost like branches coming of the tip of the creature's tail.

As he looked over the dragon's body he noticed amongst his already dark scaled were patches of blood seeping out of even blacker burns and gashes. And that's when it hit him. This dragon almost died trying to save his son.

Suddenly all the guilt came back, crashing in like a tidal wave upon the shore.

He turned his head away and, still holding the still bleeding body of his son, walked slowly toward the entrance of a small cave. And there he placed his boy on the ground beside him as he sat in silent vigil.

~Chapter 1 end~

* * *

I've written a few stories but this is my first time actually posting any of my fanfic so please go easy on me. I really hope you like it so far. How to Train your draogn is one of my all time favorite movies and I'd been planning on writing a story for awhile. since finals just ended for me I'll be able to upload the next few chapters pretty quickly. I'd appreciate any reviews or constructive criticisms you can give me I really would like to know how you like it. So until next chapter, bye bye. :)


	2. Chap 2: The Return Journey

**Chapter 2**

**The Return journey **

By the time they managed to fashion a few ships from the wreckage, left by the battle, the sun had long since fallen beneath the horizon. Stoick still sat in the mouth of a small cave cradling hiccups cold body to his chest.

His tears had long since dried and numbness had crept in to replace it. His limbs felt like rocks, weighting him down like anchors. He didn't have the will power to move, he couldn't even muster the will power to speak when Gobber approached, inquiring after his health.

He just sat there, letting it all sink in. Somehow the fact that his son was dead still didn't seem real, even though he held his still form in his arms. Like if he just allowed himself to close his eyes and sleep that he would wake up still in his house back on Berk eating breakfast, with Hiccup eating silently across the table from him.

They'd had many morning like that, just eating silently, awkwardly avoiding the others gaze. Only now did Stoick realize just how wrong he'd been. Maybe, just maybe, if he had been a better father, been more attentive and understanding, maybe then his son wouldn't be lying dead in his lap.

Stoick was shaken from his thoughts as he felt a heavy hand rest on his large shoulder. Looking up, his eye's meet with the sad gaze of the blacksmith, Gobber.

"We're ready ta ship out Stoick." He said in a gruff voice indicating that he to had been crying. Looking at his Chief, and best friend, Gobber could see the emotional turmoil in his eyes, He'd never seen his friend look so down cast, not even when his wife had left. Not knowing what else to do Gobber straightened and cleared his throat "whenever yer ready " and with that he turn and walked back to the shore line.

Stoick slowly began pick himself up off the ground, which proved to be difficult when he didn't have the use of one of his arms, seeing as one of them was still clasping hiccup to chest. As he finally got to his feet he felt one of his legs give out underneath him from having been sitting on it for hours. His hold on hiccup began to loosen has he felt his large body begin to fall back to meet the earth. However his dissent was halted when he felt the large head of toothless catch him under his arm, pushing him back up on to his feet.

The chief had just about forgotten the dragon's presence while he sat in the cave; however the creature had not once left his side.

"Thank you" he whispered, feeling genuinely grateful for the creature's quick reaction. After all if he fell he might have dropped hiccup.

Righting himself, and readjusting his hold on hiccup, Stoick walked slowly down the shoreline to where the ships lay waiting in the shallow water.

At a distance the ships seemed fine but upon close examination Stoick could see just how damaged the vessels were. The patches were made out of every material the Viking had managed to salvage, some were even large scales left over from the queen. Without the patches Stoick imagined the haul would have looked similar to swish cheese, now it looked like the front of an apron after years of wear and tear with all its patches, like metals of honor. Stoick was surprised they were even floating.

"Don't worry". Gobber said hobbling up the stoicks side. "They may look ruff but they'll do the job fine."

"Are you sure that they can handle every ones weight.". Stoick said, giving the patches a suspicious glance.

"bout half of the men 'ave already been taken away by dragon, were all that's left, so it shouldn't be a problem." Gobber said with a sign his voice betraying his exhaustion.

Stoick all of a sudden felt very guilty. As he got a better look at his men he could see just how tired they all were. After all they'd spent the last day building and repairing the ships while he'd sat there and felling sorry for himself.

Hanging his head and avoiding the eyes of his men he trudged forward onto the ship, the boards creaking under foot.

Stick walked to the front of the vessel Staring out at the sea, looking past the large black claw like rocks that were jutting out of the eerily still water. Everything was silent for a moment as the Viking watched their chief with quiet sympathy waiting for orders.

The whole world seemed to capture the chiefs mood. The atmosphere was thick with it. The water began to lick furiously at the boat as if it to felt the chief's pain, crying out in protest at the loss of the young dragon rider.

Stoick let a small tear fall form his still swollen eyes, letting it roll down his cheek to fall with a silent splash upon the wooden floor of the ship.

He stood there for what seemed like an eternity, gazing out at the ocean, his son in his arms, dragon at his side. Minutes passed before the chief seemed to return to reality, and his shoulders noticeably straightened before sagging once again as he let out a large sign.

Without turning he cleared his throat and, with a gruff voice, he finally spoke "Set sail…were going home." And within moments the ship slowly drifted out to sea, zigzagging through the claws of the nest as it began its journey back to Berk.

* * *

By the time they docked their ships back at Berk's harbor it was midday. The villagers that had stayed behind filled the docks as they rushed to assist the returning warriors and aid the remaining wounded.

Stoick made to leave the ship but before he could step one foot onto the docks he heard a sharp gasp followed by several more raise out of the crowd. Their eye's widened and many moved their hands to their backs and hips to grab weapons that were hanging from various buckles and latches.

Stoick, surprised by the sudden hostility turned to follow their gaze. As soon as he did though his surprise was instantly smothered out as he saw whom the hostility was aimed at. Toothless was standing behind him, looking around at all the vikings with caution as he kept his distance from the dock.

Realizing that they might not know about what had occurred at the nest he opened his mouth to reassure the villagers, however was cut off by a voice from the crowd.

"Chief Stoick, the nightfury has gotten loose!" One particularly frightened Viking shouted while raising an axe high above his head ready to strike in case the dragon thought to make a move on his chief.

"Put that down ya twit." Gobber said exasperated. "this dragon doesn mean any harm."

"how could you possibly know that." The Viking returned, his eye's narrowing in suspicion as he continued to gaze at the dragon, not averting his eyes even when the creature's large yellow saucers meet his own and letting out a low growl. Many of the other Viking began to mutter their agreements of the Viking sentiments, their voices rising to a loud roar of collective voices.

"Because he saved our lives." Stoick said raising his voice to be heard over the cacophony of voices. "You will show him respect." He finished with more ferocity in his voice then he meant but it had the desired effect.

The crowd went silent in an instant as they stared with wide mouths at their chief's words. Stoick The Vast who hated dragons, stoick who had made it his life mission to destroy the nest, stoick who had shunned his own blood for befriending a dragon, was now defending a nightfury.

Of course they had been told by the other teens about the events that had transpired at the nest but many still had doubts about the dragons, how could they turn around, after all the destruction they'd caused, and call them friends. It was impossible. But here was Stoick, the one man they thought would never change, proving them wrong.

With stunned Silence they watched as their chief made his way down the dock, parting to let him, and the dragon, though. It was only then that People began to notice the form curled up their chiefs large arms.

Astrid and the other rides had returned riding on their dragons a day ago and had told them of the young Vikings passing and of his noble sacrifice. How Hiccup had died defending a village full of people that had done nothing but treat him with cruelty his entire life. They couldn't bring themselves to look Stoick in the eye as he passed, holding the limp body of his son in his arms. The man looked destroyed, like he'd had the weight of the world on his shoulders and had been crushed by it. His eyes were swollen and red, and his complexion was almost as pale as the boy's in his arms.

Guilt permeated the air, like a smoke, making it hard to breath. The villagers hung their heads low in shame, watching their chief ascend the stairs from the docks into Berk, the dragon shadowing him closely all the way.

Stoick pushed through more onlookers as he made his way to the funeral house, the village elder already waiting for him at the doors to the building.

She regarded her chief with empathy in her aged eyes, wisdom and experience swirling in her dark irises. If anyone understood his pain then it would be her. She'd lost her daughter during a particularly bad raid a few years ago.

Stoick followed the short elderly women into the large wooden cabin like structure without so much as a word exchanged between them. Then, following her lead he placed Hiccup's body on the long table covered with a large black wool blanket that had the Berk crest knitted into it in red.

Stoick straightened the body out so that hiccup lay on his back instead of his side, and straightened his limbs so that they were neatly positioned at his side.

After he finished he gazed down at his son, it was only then that he realized just how much hiccups appearance had changed.

He was still covered in scratches but the blood had become hard and crusted, cracks spread over the dark splotches like a spider web. His skin had taken a frighteningly gray tone instead of the healthy pink tone he had one sported. His face looked sunken in and his body temperature had dropped so low that Stoick felt like he was touching an ice cube. And the smell.

Stoick hadn't noticed it before but the spot where hiccups leg had been severed was beginning to rot, which caused a smell that was so foul it stung his eyes and almost made him want to wretch.

Stoick had to cover his mouth with his hand so as to prevent himself from breaking down again. It was only then that the fact Hiccup was dead had final became real to him, seeing his son laying on the table ready to be prepped for his Viking sendoff was the final nail in the coffin., as the cold reality of it all finally sunk in.

He didn't cry or shout. When the elder took his hand in her own frail ones he glanced down at her, and there he saw what he needed. It wasn't forgiveness, or pity, no nothing of that sort; he didn't deserve to be forgiven. It was . She didn't look at him with guilt like the others, which was good because he didn't want to hear any half assed apologies, the ones that people sloppy strung together in an attempt to absolve themselves. What he wanted was someone to share in his pain, to understand.

Stoick stood there for a moment just allowing himself to fell, tuning everything else out as he concentrated on his emotions, allowing them to swirl around inside him and coil around his heart like a chain. Steeling himself for what he had to do next.

Then silently he let go of the elder's hand, turned and left.

She stared after him remembering her own pain as she watched stoick walk, like he was in a daze, toward the great hall.

End Chapter 2

* * *

Thank you so, so, so much for the reviews and follows. You don't understand how much I appreciate it. I know the chapter is on the short side but don't worry I've got plans for this story so hang in there. :)

Review Responses

To DoomsdaybeamXD:

Thank you so much, it's my first fanfiction so I'm really glad that you enjoy it, it was alot of fun to write so it's good to know my time was well spent. :)

To Rhyssie Lanchance :

Thanks for the advice I really appreciate it. I tried to pace it out better this time so i hope it's an improvement.

To nerdycartooncharacter:

Thank You I'm glad you think so, I'm planning to post a chapter a week so hopefully, if all goes well, you wont have to wait to long for each release. :)

To johnnylee619 :

Thank you I'm glad you like it :)


	3. Chapter 3: Do we deserve to be saved?

Disclaimer:

I do not own How to train your dragon, all rights to the characters belong to Dreamworks and Cressida Cowell.

* * *

Chapter 3: Do we deserve to be saved?

Stoick pushed open the large wooden door to the great hall. Walking in he noticed that most of the village had already gather inside and were scattered around the large room, talking amongst themselves in small groups.

As he walked toward the center of the room several people began to take notice of the chief's presence. They turn watching, talking in hurried whispers and murmurs, which quickly turned to silence as the chief gazed around the room.

A long pregnant silence filled the air as they all stood, regarding the chief. However a few voice began to rise above the crowd breaking through the silence to cascade along the walls.

"Chief Stoick, what do we do now?"

"Are the dragons really gone?"

"What about the Nightfury?"

"Is Hiccup really dead?"

Many more voice began to rise in unison, voicing similar concerns; the volume kept rising until it became a cacophony of sound, indistinguishable to the chief's ears.

Stoick waited patiently for the voices to settle, and die down. However his silence was only meet with more questions and the volume rose impossibly higher.

Irritated, Stoick took a large breath in, letting his lungs fill to capacity. Then, raising his voice so he could be heard above the chaos, he shouted, "SILENCE!" letting his air fuel his words. His voice was booming, reverberating around the room, and any and all who had been talking quickly shut their mouths, effectively silencing the room once more.

"I will answer yer questions, but one at a time." Stoick said rubbing his temple with his thumb and forefinger as if to dispel a headache.

Walking to the front of the room, he hoisted himself up to stand on top of one of the large oak tables, so he could be heard and seen above the crowd.

"Now, I will start with the few questions I heard." Stoick said with a sign. "yes, the dragons are gone. As I'm sure you've heard by now, the nest was emptied when my son faced the queen…..Hiccup…he …..sacrificed himself …."

There was a long pause after he mentioned Hiccup, talking about him brought back so much pain. The images from the funeral home all came flooding back, the agony filled his chest, threatening to over flow.

Stoick struggled to regain his composer as fresh tears rimmed his already swollen eyes. For the first time in his career as a chief, he felt helpless.

He was on the verge of yet another break down until a small pressure was felt on his shoulder Gobber's heavily callused hand lay there, like an anchor, pulling him back down from his despair and allowing him to refocus. A small smile of reassurance graced the aged blacksmiths face as Stoick turned to meet his gaze.

Stoick once again felt grateful for his old friends presence, realizing just how much he relayed on him to keep himself together. Gobber was like his rock ever since his wife left, his constant presence was almost a necessity at times, and never was it more needed then in that moment.

Feeling marginally less defeated under his friend's support, he straightened his shoulders to once again address the patiently awaiting crowd.

"The Nightfury is to be left alone…." But before he could even finish talking several voices rose up in protest.

"Don't ye remember what it did to us?"

"It's too dangerous!"

"It's a beast, we should kill it!"

"I will not negotiate this!" Stoick raised his voice, his anger obvious in the tone. "That "beast" just saved half of this village, it deserves our respect!" narrowing his eyes to two cold slits as he addressed the few who had spoken out against his decision.

"However…." he said getting back on track "we don't know if the other dragons will return or if they will still be a threat, so we will need to set up some sort of watch out system."

"Who will inherit the chiefdom now?" A rough looking man toward the front of the crowd asked, but a look of regret crossed his ragged features at the cold glare the chief shot his way, barley contained rage festering behind his slipping composure.

_How dare he, my son his dead for less than a week and their already trying to replace him. _Stoick felt his hand ball into tight fists as he began to tremble slightly, his anger staring to leak out.

The atmosphere grew heavy as the crowd watched their chief with apprehension, the interaction much like a bear ready to attack his prey.

Stoick felt his anger fill him, replacing the emptiness that had been eating away at his soul. Just as he was preparing to punch the ignorant man in Helhims gate, the grip on his shoulder tightened uncomfortably. The sudden pain brought reality crashing back as he realized that he had been gripping the top of his axe that hung ready at his side.

Remembering himself, Stoick released his grip on the weapon and took in a deep breath to calm himself. Realizing that if Hiccup had not been his son and he was in the other man's position, he probably would have asked the same. After all it was a legitimate concern.

Raising his hand to his forehead Stoick rubbed his temple again, a headache really starting to settle in as exhaustion crept in. "I'll decide on the details later for now I have a funeral to get ready for."

And with that he stepped down from the table and exited the building, the crowd separating to let him through, as he made his way out in to the courtyard, and then straight to his now empty house.

* * *

After the chief had left the great hall and most of the villagers had filled out Astrid made to return home. She had been shocked at Stoick's behavior, one minute it looked like he might cry and the next he had been terrifying like a violent storm. She was sure that the chief was going to clobber the man, she now recognized as Spinthrust, after he had inquired about the inheritance.

She'd never seen the chief show so much emotion before, but then again who could blame him, after all he'd just lost his son. Spinthrust had been callous. She'd felt such rage toward the man that it surprised herself. After all she to had been amongst those who'd detested the young man. But even when there was so many that doubted him, even hated him, he'd still done the impossible and saved them all.

Looking up she realized that her feet had carried her in an unexpected direction as she found herself standing at the entrance to the funeral home.

The building was new, just like all the rest. Intricate carvings of Valhalla and the gods adorned the ribbon like planks of wood that rose up on either side of the build to cross over each other at the top, making shallow arches. The building was long and wide with no windows, keeping the sun out.

Until the war Berk had never had a funeral home, there hadn't been much of a reason for it. But with the drastic increase in the death rate, the village council had decided to build a house for the bodies to be kept in until a proper funeral could be held.

Astrid regarded the building with some hesitation, wondering if she even had the right to see Hiccup, after all what relationship did they have?

Walking forward she gentle wrapped her slim finger around the hand and pushed the door open slowly, as if to not alert anyone inside the building to her presence.

The room was dark, lite by only a few small candles near the back of the room, and as she closed the door behind her she had to wait for her eye's to adjust.

After a few minutes she began to make out shapes in the darkness, one of which looked like a lumpy mass sitting on top of a table near the back of the room. Walking closer to the table she gasped as she realized what the mass was.

Hiccup look even more frail and thin then she remembered. His shirt had been removed so his skin could be washed and what she saw shocked her. Pale graying skin was pulled tight over a disturbingly protruding rib cage. Dark bruises where blood had pooled under the skin, glared up at her, contrasting sharply against the pale complexion, like ink blots on a page. Deep gashes crisscrossed this way and that like claw marks, dried blood caking the edges. And even though incense were burning on the side table, the smell of decaying flesh could still be distinguished through the sweet scented smoke. It was almost enough to make her gage. She had to look away and focus on her breathing, look somewhere, anywhere but the body lying on the table.

After a few minutes Astrid finally managed to calm her stomach enough to gaze back at the body, this time making an effort to only look at the face, so as to prevent herself from retching.

His face had less damage then the rest of his body in that only one stretch adorned his face, running from his right cheek bone down to his jaw, and only a few small bruises were present.

His cheeks were sunken in and dark purple shadows rimmed the bottom of his closed eyes. Even his once chestnut brown hair seemed to have dulled in color.

Astrid raised her hand and hesitantly placed it on his cheek stroking it with her thumb. The skin was ice cold to the touch and she would have mistaken it for stone had she not been looking at him.

Then without warning tears came flooding out of the young girl's eyes.

"Oh Hiccup, what have we done to you." She whimpered into her hands as she used them to cover her face.

This was their fault, everyone's, including hers. If only they'd listened, if only they'd tried to understand. Even though she'd come around in the end did it really matter? After all she'd tried him no better than dirt his whole life, so what if she regretted it now? It didn't make a difference in the the end and it definitely wasn't making wasn't making one now.

The guilt felt like it was crushing her soul in a tight grip squeezing harder with each tear she shed. Did she even deserve to cry? After all she'd barely known him. It was just some way to make herself feel like a better person, that by feeling sorrow for his passing it would somehow absolve herself of her past wrong doings.

She felt so retched, how could she have stood by and let it happen, how could she join the others in tormenting someone to the point off breaking…..but she had, and because of that, that someone was lying dead on the table before her.

Why had he done it? Why, after all if it, did he decided to save them? It would have been easier for him to abandon them to their fate. He could have flown far away to land where no one knew him, and forgotten about the village full of stubborn Vikings, with words aimed to slaughter.

Yet he hadn't, and because of that they had all been saved.

_Do we even deserve to be saved?_

Glancing down at the body once more, tears long since dried, she uttered the words that her pride as not let her say before.

"I'm sorry, I'm so…so sorry, you were right…always were"

But what did it matter if she was sorry, saying it wouldn't breathe life into his lungs, wouldn't pump his now immobile heart, or make his blood flow once again. If it would she would say it over and over, as many times as it took for it all to be okay again, like it was supposed to be. But it wouldn't, instead the words fell from her mouth as useless as pearls in mud.

She sat there in silence and in that moment she realized something, Hiccup was the only man she could ever truly call a hero.

Chapter 3 end

* * *

YAY! another chapter down. :) I'm sorry for the lateness of this chapter, works been pretty hectic. I meant to publish this yesterday but i was having some serious difficulty with writers block on some of it :(.Over all I'm happy with how most of it came out. Hopefully your not disappointed. Again i want to thank every one for all the favs, follows and reviews, it makes me so happy to know that people enjoy my writing :). To respond to a few reviews, when i say that this is not a character death in the summary I'm not lying (there have been a few people complaining about my summary) :P. i have plans for our young hero yet so be patient with me please :) So until next chapter Bye bye -tsuchihana


	4. Chapter 4: Hero Reborn

Disclaimer: I do not own How To Train Your Dragon, all rights belong to DreamWorks and Cressida Cowell. Please support the official release. I also do not own any other movies, shows, or works of art or music I may reference, all right belong to their respective owners.

* * *

Chapter 4 : Hero Reborn

By the time Hiccup's body had finished being prepared for the official Viking send off, the sun was hanging low in the sky. Casting deep shades of crimson over the dark storm clouds that had since rolled in.

Stoick had finished putting together the traditional offerings, and was now busying himself with placing the chosen objects in a small boat around his son.

Vikings had long believed that, to provide the deceased with comfort in the afterlife, they were to be sent off with essential things like food, clothing, and weapons. Seeing as the afterlife was believed to closely resemble the world of men, it only made since that the same items were necessary there as well.

Leaning over Stoick carefully placed a shield over the small boy's midsection, carefully adjusting it so their family crest lay straight. The shield was painted red with a liquorish black dragon coiled in the center, similar in shape to the Berk crest. However instead of a Monstrous Nightmare; a night fury's figure could easily be distinguished in the strong brush strokes.

Stoick had been trying very hard to prevent himself from looking at the boy's face throw-out his task, trying to create some sort of disconnect so as to prevent another break down. But, as he stood back to check his work, his gaze drifted, higher, and higher, until it landed upon a chestnut brown head of hair.

His stomach instantly did an involuntary flip as his heart rate quickened. No matter how many times he saw it he still couldn't get used to it, even as he stood before his son lying in his funeral boat, he didn't want to get used to it.

The skin was grayer and more sunken in then it was the previous day, and even though they had been mostly covered by the rich embroidered clothing that now adorned the boy, he could tell the bruises and gashes still littered the boy's delicate skin. The body lay peacefully in the boat, flower and various goods lining him on either side. His arms lay on his chest, small hands feebly grasping the hilt of his sword. They had put a red wool blanket over his legs to cover the still rotting stump, the Berk crest embroidered on the front in large gold tread.

His son is really, truly dead.

Stoick observed, with a strange numbness, that hiccup looked, if it was even possible, smaller than usual among all the offerings surrounding his tiny figure. It would have been almost funny if it hadn't been for the severity of the situation.

Another thing he observed was that, in the last few days he'd spent more time with his dead son then he ever had when hiccup was alive. His guilt only growing in strength with the thought, accompanied by images of his son's rotting corpse flashing through his mind.

Feeling a little sick Stoick grasped the side of the boat in an attempt to anchor is large body. His hands felt clammy and small beads of sweat began to form on his large brow, which was furrowed in concentration as he focused on anything but the still form of his son, trying not to lose his lunch.

Stoick had never been weak stomached when it came to this kind of stuff; he'd seen it often enough that he'd built up a sort of tolerance to it. He'd even been there when Gobber's hand had been viciously ripped from his arm, blood spattering everywhere, accompanied by a sickening crunching sound as the creature enjoyed his small snack. It had been disgusting to say the least, but when you were a Viking, losing a limb or two was an occupational hazard.

He'd seen countless men burned alive, eaten or just horribly wounded in the line of duty. But for some reason just seeing hiccup lying dead in a Viking equivalent of a coffin, was more than the chief could bear.

Just as he'd finally gotten his stomach to cease doing summer saults, he could make out a few pairs of footsteps approaching from behind.

Instantly straightening his posture to a more intimidating height, he turned to meet his new arrivals.

Gobber, Gothi (the village elder), and Spitlout stood in the entrance to the funeral home, toothless pushing his way through to stand near Hiccup.

When the dragon reached the boat he looked down onto his rider, and what happened next shocked them all.

A look of such deep sorrow, if a dragon could even feel it, graced the creature's dark features. The ear like flaps on top of its head drooped back; small pained whines escaped the dragon's mouth as he moved his large head to rest atop the small boy's, nuzzling into the soft brown locks.

Stoick wasn't sure if dragons could cry but no other word could describe what the Night fury was doing in that moment.

"stoick" the gruff voice of Gobber spoke from behind the chef. "it's time."

Turning away from the scene before him Stoick nodded. "I know"

Silently the men and toothless walked to individual corners of the boat and grasped the poles that jut out from underneath the small vessel.

In Berk it was tradition that the deceased where to sail off the water fall that feed into the ocean, the belief being that the soul of the person would fly out into the world. Seeing as the only waterfall that lead directly into the ocean was located at a lake deep in the forest, the boats had to be carried there.

When the men went to lift the small vessel it leaned slightly to the right do to the fact toothless was holding it on his back.

Slowly, so they wouldn't hit the edges of the door frame, they carried their cargo through the narrow entrance.

Stepping out into the fading light Stoick was greeted with a sight he did not expect.

The entire village, old and young, stood in the courtyard, torches in hand, waiting. Guilt and sorrow plainly visible on many faces as the chief swept his gaze over the crowd. Especially the young female Viking he recognized as Astrid. She almost looked uncomfortable, almost liked she did not think she deserved to be there. She stood, shoulders sagged and face turned down like she felt too ashamed to return Stoick's gaze.

In many ways Stoick understood, if anyone deserved to be standing here with his son, surely it was not him. After all, he realized with a bitterness that mad is mouth taste sour, he turned his back on the boy. While this girl had stood by his side in the end, even if it had only been for a short while, she had given his son something he never had. Support.

Feelings of shame returning in full force he averted his gaze to the ground, no longer able to meet the eyes of his clansmen. After all how could he clam to be a chief loyal to his people if he couldn't even show that same loyalty to his own flesh and blood? He was a fool.

Not looking up as the group slowly began to make their way through the crowd, bearing the boat and Hiccup, Stoick felt like each step he took sapped his energy. His legs felt like stone and he wasn't even sure how he was still moving, sure that at any moment his legs might betray him.

But they kept moving, through the village and into the trees, torch bearing Viking leading the men through the darkness while more brought up the rear.

The precession moved in utter silence, the only sound being those of footsteps and insects chirping in the forest. The air was thick with the dark mood that poured from the Vikings, covering them all in a dark shroud and weighing them down like heavy chains.

However at some point, Stoick became aware of a feminine voice being carried back to him on the breeze.

Gothi was singing,

Her voice echoed through the trees and flooded from her in such volume, despite her small body, that it sent shivers crawling up His spine. The ancient Norse song flowed with such elegance through the silence, dancing in the air only to wrap it's self around Stoick's heart, refusing to let go.

"Lay Down. Your sweet and weary head"

"Night is falling. You have come to Journey's end.

"Sleep now. And dream of the ones who came before."

"They are calling. From across the distant shore."

The words, like a verbal lament, only served to increase the pain that had already set like, a heavy stone in Stoicks slowly withering heart.

Soon Toothless began howling along with the elders words as if shouting to the gods, the grief in the creature's voice so powerful, it forced the tears that had been threatening to leak from the older man's eyes, to cascade down his cheeks to disappear into his long red beard.

By the time they reached the shore of the lake night had fallen, casing the torches to cast long shadows over the faces of the mourners.

Gothi's song came to an end as the men slowly placed the boat on the smooth surface, the water gently lapping at the vessel's sides.

And for a long moment they all stood, staring down at the small boy who had never looked bigger. Their savior, their hero, their….hiccup.

Gothi approached the boat, running her aged hands over the rough surface of the wood. Turning she regarded Stoick with a weak empathetic smile, her brows furrowed by sadness, which twisted her expression into a look of such pain, remembering when she had been in the same position long ago.

"Hiccup was…a good lad." She said stepping forward to do the eulogy, as was her duty as an elder. She'd delivered many in her time; more then she'd ever wish to count. She'd always felt some emotion. However she had never felt the sharp pain gripping her heart that she felt as she spoke her next words.

"He was better than most. He was born a hiccup, a runt of the litter. But somehow, away from our sight, he became a man, and not just a man, a hero. I'm only sorry that it had to be with his death, that we were finally able to see that." She said bitterly.

"We did not support this young man the way we should have, we shunned him for his differences and treated him no better than our enemies. For that we will never be able to absolve ourselves." She saw Stoick stiffen at her words, gripping his large hand into tight fists.

"Hiccup was a true Viking, and a man worthy of respect, and because of his acts of courage we are still here today, enjoying the first days of peace that our village has seen in many years." Relief evident in her voice.

"Today we honor his memory and pray that he finds his rightful place among the gods in Valhalla, for he has, a great deal more than most, earned it." And with that she stepped back, concluding her speech.

Slowly Stoick stepped forward toward the vessel once more. Looking down into his son's face for the last time he let the hot tear trail down his face and, with a heavy hand, he pushed the boat gently out and away from the shore.

As they watched the boat drift lazily out toward the center of the lake the storm clouds above began to leak small drops of water. Lightening began to crack and streak across the sky then racing down to collide into the lakes surface. Thunder roared loudly, echoing through the night like an animal in pain, almost as if the god's themselves lamented the young hero's passing.

Bolts of white hot electricity erupt over the water, getting closer to the vessel with each strike.

Then one finally found its mark dead on, striking the small boy square in the chest, crackling then spidering out to catch the side of the boat. The strike instantly catching the wooden surface alight.

The fire roared to life and dark smoke billowed upwards, spiraling into the sky.

The onlookers watched in mixed emotions of awe and horror at the scene.

Then almost as quickly as the fire began it started to dye leaving a ring of thick black smoke around the now charred boat.

What happened next would change Stoick's life forever, as the smoke began to pour into the boy. They could see everything as the lake was small and the vessel had only drifted about twenty or so feet out. And what they saw was so shocking that it would forever be talked about in legend.

As the dark smoke continued to pour into the boy his skin began to harden and become dark. Audible cracking sounds could be heard as his bones bent, cracked and rearranged themselves into a new configuration. His skin soon turned black, like it was being burned from the inside out and small oval like shapes began to cover the surface.

And so his once pale skin was replaced with hard, glossy, coal black scales. His spin extended out ward, bursting through his skin only for a new layer to stich it's self around the new appendage, forming a long tail.

His ears shrank and where replaced with to large car ear like flaps. Teeth grew in length and came to a point as well as his nails as they formed lethal claws and fangs.

His body grew four times its size as lean muscle began to develop. Next the arms and legs began to shorten slightly and, within moments the body of the once thought dead teen had been replaced with that of the unholy offspring off lightning and death itself, a NIghtfury.

* * *

A/N: So there you have it Hiccup is not dead OMG what a shocker! Hopefully you're not too disappointed with the outcome. I'd been toying around with this idea in my head for a while but I couldn't seem to come up with any legitimate way to turn hiccup into a dragon :( until one day, when I was watching the movie again, it hit me. So I couldn't resist writing a fanfiction on it. This was my plan all along and even though some people did have some pretty interesting guesses, no one came close to figuring it out. I'm actually really surprised. :) So please tell me what you think I really appreciate all the feed back, it's given me some wonderful ideas and inspires me to continue writing:) And as always I'll see you until next chapter.

-tsuchihana


	5. Chapter 5: Awakening

Disclaimer: The following is a fan based story. I do not own How To Train Your Dragon, all rights belong to DreamWorks Animation and Cressida Cowell. Please support the official release.

* * *

Chapter 5: Awakening

The last thing he remembered was falling.

And then nothing, everything went black and quiet. He felt like he was floating through a fog. Time seemed to stand still.

How long had he been here? An hour? A day? A year? It could have been an eternity for all he knew.

He couldn't feel anything, his limbs were like that of a ghosts. They were attached, but almost as if they weren't his to govern. All of his senses died as they faded to black under the nonexistence that was this void. At first he could feel a small pain, almost like a burn and a sharp sting on his leg, but after a while that faded too. He just floated through the cold darkness, not knowing which way was up or down, or even if said directions still existed.

After a while, his memories began to fade as well, as he fought to recall even his own name through the thick fog that clouded his mind.

_My name is…Hiccup right? No, yes, my name Is Hiccup, My name is…what…what is my name? Who…who am I? _

The void just kept on devouring everything until there was nothing left but an empty shell. There was nothing, not even a name to his pathetic existence, if you could even call it existing. Everything he ever was, was now gone as well as everything he ever could have been.

And then he began to sink, slowly at first but picking up pace as he fell deeper and deeper still, into the unforgiving jaws of the void, the shadows closing in and growing impossibly darker.

Then suddenly, his rapid decent came to unexpected halt, and that was when he heard it, a voice calling out to someone.

"HICCUP!" the word, that was a mixture of a roar and a slightly baritone voice, tore through the silence and into the young man's ears and exploding over his eardrums.

Even though the volume of the voice caused his ears great discomfort, there was something about that tone that caused a nostalgic warmth to spread through his body, like warm tea and honey. And it filled his hollow heart with an emotion he couldn't quite place. Why? Why did that voice seem so familiar? And that word, what did it mean, who or what was Hiccup?

_Hiccup? Who…..who is…I'm….Hiccup…right? That's….that's my name…..Hiccup. _

How could he have forgotten his own name? He didn't have long to ponder on this however as the once unrelenting darkness was suddenly interrupted by a blinding flash of harsh light, burning his eye's with the intensity. And then came the pain, at first a sharp jolt near the center of his chest, but it soon spread, like wildfire, as it burned its way through his very veins, toward the rest of his body.

The heat was so intense he was sure that whatever was left of him would surly have been turned to ash. His body felt like it was being torn apart, delicate flesh being torn from small bones, bones which were broken and torn apart like an animal does its prey. His teeth and nails were ripped out of their rightful homes and his spine was pulled and stretched, like putty in a child's merciless hands. He wanted to scream or cry, but couldn't. His lungs would not allow him the release as they were being filled with thick smoke, choking him and turning his lungs black. And just when he thought he would surely die, if he wasn't already, it stopped.

The pain faded away to a dull ache as his body was pieced together like a jigsaw puzzle. The smoke that had been choking him flooded out of his lungs, leaving a raw feeling in his throat. His skin no longer burning as it had been earlier, left behind only a slight stinging sensation, almost like a sun burn. The pain was gone, but something still felt…off, like he'd been put back together in the wrong order.

Slowly he became aware of himself again as he felt the presence of his limbs return to him, giving them and experimental twitch. When he was satisfied that he could once again control them, he moved to concentrate on his hearing. He could hear muffled sounds, like voices surrounding him. Slowly, as if not sure he'd be able to; he forced his heavy eyelids to crack open.

Blurry images danced in front of his eyes as he attempted to focus. And slowly, after blinking a few times, the images began to clear as they ceased their wild movements and stood still.

He instantly felt his body surge to its feet and instinctively coil itself into a defensive crouch, as several tall, burly Vikings towered above him like trees. His heart hammered in his chest, like a bird in a cage. His narrow pupils darted back and forth in their green pools as he desperately searched for some sort of escape.

He flinched as one of the larger Vikings, with a long bushy red beard, knelt down beside him. The young dragon arched its back in an attempt to distance himself from the human, when the Viking reached out one of its massive and thick hands to touch him, oblivious to the drake's discomfort.

Hiccup felt an odd sensation, as his sharp teeth unsheathe themselves from his gums as the Viking continued to move closer, hand outstretched. A deep growl rumbling in his chest, Hiccup fought to keep his balance as his tired limbs protested beneath his weight, threatening to give out.

"Stoick, I don' think that's such a good idea." A blonde Viking, who appeared to be missing a few limbs, cautioned. "I don' think he can recognize us."

But either the crouched man didn't hear the warning or he chose to ignore it, as he inched forward yet again. Just when Hiccup was readying his teeth to defend himself against the Viking, a large black shape placed itself, with blinding speed, in between the two creatures, effectively blocking either one from moving any closer to one another.

"I think Toothless is tellin ya ta back off Stoick." The Blonde Viking said, relieved that Toothless had interfered when it looked like Hiccup was going to strike the chief.

The red haired Viking glared at the Nightfury with a look of such rage it made Hiccup cringe away and hide himself behind his, slightly larger, savior. The Night fury however didn't move from his protective spot in Front of Hiccup, and unfurled one large midnight black wing to block the smaller dragon from the large man's line of sight. Large yellow eye's leveling the man with a pensive stare, as if daring him to approach.

"Fine, I'll leave him be…for now" The large man, Hiccup now recognized as Stoick, said as Toothless blocked his attempt to move toward the smaller dragon, yet again, with a deep threatening growl.

Turning around to face the smaller dragon, Toothless sniffed curiously at the young boy. "Are you all right little one?' the older Nightfury asked in concerned tone. Hiccup felt a curious sense of familiarity sweep throughout his body as he met the worried gaze of his protector. Feeling like he could trust this drake he rose to his full height, no longer cowering behind his make shift shield, and nodded.

"Who...who are you? Where am I? How… how did I get here?" Hiccup began firing off questions at a rapid pace, as confusion and fear poured out of him in waves.

Now that his adrenaline was wearing off, his legs felt like heavy stones, his body ached with tiredness, begging for rest. But Hiccup fought through the sleep trying to cloud his mind, determined to hear the answers to his questions as he stood anxiously and expectantly, waiting for the Nightfury to speak.

"Calm down little one, you're in no danger here." Toothless reassured. "Now tell me, what can you remember?"

"I…..I don't remember anything, just that I was in some dark place and…..and someone was calling my name." Hiccup said his face bore a look of utter concentration as he desperately wracked his brain for something, anything that could tell him what was going on.

"Hhmmmmm….then it's as I feared". Toothless said somewhat sadly. "Of course with what you've been through in the past few days it's not entirely unexpected. Tell me, do you remember who _**you **_are?"

"My name is Hiccup but other than that….no" Hiccup said a little distraught, how could he have forgotten who he was? Even though the Vikings had given them some space and were a comfortable distance away, something still seemed…off. He couldn't shake this strange itching feeling in the back of his mind that something just wasn't right. He felt like he should know these people, this Nightfury, but why couldn't he? What exactly had he gone through?

"Do…do you remember who…who I am?" Toothless questioned, but with hesitance this time, knowing the answer but hoping, beyond all hope, that he was wrong.

Hiccup studied the Dragon before him closely, as if trying to remember every aspect of the midnight blue drake's scales.

Toothless was slightly larger than himself, with dark black scales that shone blue under the moon light. Scratched and lacerations that had scabbed over, littered the surface and marring the otherwise beautiful completion. Something about those injuries set off a small voice somewhere in the back of his head, as Hiccup returned his gaze to meet the others. Yellow eyes that seemed to illuminate with years of experience and knowledge, stared down with patience, and badly masked fear, as he waited for the young boys answer.

Something felt so familiar about this dragon ,like the drake standing before him was important to him in some way. The voice in his head was screaming at him now willing him to remember. He shook his head, as if by doing so he could clear away the thick fog that seemed to blanket his mind. But not matter how hard he tried to remember, he just…couldn't. Solemnly He hung his large head in defeat and slowly shook it in negative.

"No…I don…." but before he could even get the words out something caught his eye that made him go silent. The Nightfury was missing one of his tail fins! A shiver of recognition swept through his tired body and crashed over him like a wave. He couldn't tear his eyes from the missing spot on the drake's tail, the voice screaming even louder in his head '_THIS IS IMPORTANT, REMEMBER!_ '

"I…..You're…Toothless!" and as soon as the name left his lips a whirlwind of memories came flooding back, when he launch a boa into the air, when he risked his life by freeing a dragon, when he attempted to pet said dragon, and when he flew for the first time. It all came back in a rush, assaulting his mind and causing a headache to form with the sudden onslaught.

Whining and shaking his head in an attempt to calm the new pain that seized his mind, Hiccup attempted to right himself up to look at the other dragon from the crouched position he'd taken when the images had begun their rampant storming through his mind.

"Toothless, I…I remember you." Hiccup managed to get out through clenched teeth, his head ache quickly becoming worse with his growing exhaustion.

A look of such relief and joy crossed the other dragons face making Hiccup feel slightly better, as toothless' eyes lit up as if he'd just been given the greatest gift one could ever receive.

Then something occurred to Hiccup….how had he even been talking to Toothless earlier? And why in the world was he sitting on all fours? Slowly hiccup attempted to pick himself up onto his feet but realized quickly that that wasn't going to be an option as his lack of balance forced him to stumble forward, back onto all fours.

"Careful little one, you've been through a lot, your body might not be used to it yet." Toothless said, concern emanating from the dragon, who had moved forward to help steady his (previous) rider.

"Might not be used to it?..." Hiccup questioned, suddenly worried. "Toothless, what's happened to me?" Hiccup demanded. However instead of answering his question the drake averted his attention elsewhere, avoiding eye contact.

"Toothless". Hiccup began again in an accusatory tone, causing a sheepish look of discomfort to appear on the dragons face as he continued to avoid his gaze.

Hiccup, realizing quickly he wasn't likely to get an answer from the stubborn creature, decided to investigate his body one his own. Looking down Hiccup was met with a sight that nothing could have prepared him for.

Long, curved claws extended out from large paw like appendages. Dark raven black scales, which shimmered with a dark green, gleamed up at him from short muscular legs. Suddenly aware of a weight on his back, Hiccup turned his gaze to a large pair of bat like wings that lay furled tight against his body, extending backwards towards a long tail complete with two tailfins.

Suddenly Hiccup felt like he couldn't get enough air, as his chest rapidly expanded and contracted in his desperate attempts to fill his lungs with oxygen. His already tired legs began to wobble and he began to feel extremely light headed. His legs shook violently with exhaustion and shock, as he fought to maintain his balance. Spots began to dance in his vision as the world began to fade from his eyes.

Then the ground rapidly rose up to meet him as Hiccup collided with sand in a dead faint.

* * *

After the smoke had cleared and the boy, turned dragon, lay unconscious in the wreckages of what was left of the small vessel, everyone stared awe struck at the sleeping figure.

What had just happened?

Stoick stared at the new dragon, his son, in utter shock. His son had just been…been turned into a dragon! And a Nightfury of all things! He couldn't seem to move from his spot on the beach, his body frozen in shock. He just continued to stare out into the water, his mind desperately trying to make since of what had just occurred.

No one moved for a long time, until a splashing sound seemed to awaken everybody from there shocked states, as they glance around the shore to locate the source.

Toothless had jumped into the frigid water and was now paddling furiously to reach the small boat. Swimming proving to be rather difficult as his wings created drag, and the lack of webbing in his paw like feet made it harder to pull his large body forward. But eventually after nearly going under a few times, Toothless reached the damaged boat and began pushing the vessel back towards the shore.

The return trip took longer this time considering his new luggage, but after a few moments of determined paddling, Toothless docked the boat on the sandy shore and pulled himself out of the freezing waters, splashing several Vikings as he shook in an attempt to dry himself. Then turning around, he pulled Hiccup from the burnt wreckage.

Stoick, who'd somehow managed to shake off his dazed state, approached the shore with no small amount of hesitation and fear.

_What has that accursed creature done to my son? _

Stoick thought to himself as his gaze locked with a pair of yellow orbs. A rage boiling in his chest as his desire to grab his axe grew with a devastating hunger. He had forgiven the creature for his past wrong doings after the battle. He'd even formed some strange type of mutual understanding in their shared grief. But this… this was wrong. He'd already lost his son once, he wasn't about to lose him again to this creatures dark magic. Just as Stoick felt ready to sate his blood lust and finish off the Nightfury, a noise from the shore caught his attention, stopping him in his tracks.

Hiccup was beginning to wake! His legs twitched and a small moan escaped the new dragon's lips.

The villagers began muttering behind him, things like, "black magic", "a curse" "…. Demon" , reached his ears. However he ignored them as he focused on the stirring form of his now dragon son.

He watched in awe as the young dragon opened his piercing green eyes, and blinked as if in a daze. A warm sensation filled the chief's chest as he watched his son gaze at his surroundings. Those eye's, he knew those eyes. They were the color of leafs in the spring and the grass that flowed like water in the wind, the same color as the young boy's mother's

His blood lust was replaced with a new desire as he knelt down near the, now fully awake, dragon and reached out a hand. He just wanted to touch him, to confirm his existence, to prove that this wasn't just some sick joke his mind was playing on him in his sleep.

He heard Gobber speak something that sounded like a warning, but it was lost on him, as he attempted to approach the scared creature. But just as he was about to rest his large hand on his son's scaly head, a large black figure blocked his path, much to his disappointment.

Looking up, he realized the obstacle was none other than Toothless, who was now leveling him with a fiercely protective stare.

Stoick felt his rage rise in him again like a typhoon, as he returned the stare with a glare of his own, fire burning in his irises. How dare this creature try to keep him from his son, it's not like he was going to hurt him. Then ignoring the dragons warning, the Chief attempted to move past the Nightfury to his son once again, only to be cut off again by said dragon, letting out a deep threatening growl as he bared his fangs. Stoick watched as the dragon unfolded a large wing and curled it behind him to block his patch, and a painful realization hit him.

Looking over Toothless' outstretched wing he gazed over his son's crouched form. He sat coiled in a defensive crouch as he cowered behind his dragon shield. Hiccup's large green eye's focusing on him with a look of such fear it made Stoick's heart seize in his chest.

_Hiccup doesn't….recognize me. _

The thought hit him like a knife in the chest, as Toothless' behavior finally began to make sense to him.

_He thinks that I might hurt him, my own son._

But really, was the creature that far off, after all he'd done it before. He could still remember it vividly, the feeling in his hand as he shoved his son to the ground. And those eye's, they had been full of so much hurt, hurt and anger. Stoick would remember the moment for the rest of his life, how could he have sunk so low. Looking down he realized he'd wrapped his fingers around the handle of his axe. What was he doing, here we was looking at his living breathing son, and he'd almost been about to kill the very creature he had to thank for it.

So without a fight, he stepped back and lowered his arms. "Fine, I'll leave him be…for now" and with that he slowly made his way to the edge of the tree's trying, to put some distance between himself and the source of his new pain, before he did something he was sure he would regret.

* * *

A/N: Alright so I apologize that this chapter came out so late, classes just started so I might not be able to release each chapter on time. But I promise to try to release a chapter at least once a week. As a treat for making you all wait so long I wrote an extra-long chapter this time, it's almost twice as long as usual! I have a beta reader now so hopefully this chapter reads a little smoother then the last few. As always I appreciate all the support and advice, it's very helpful So until next chapter, bye, bye.

_tsuchihana


	6. Chapter 6: Bid Adjustments

Disclaimer: The following is a fan based story. I do not own How To Train Your Dragon all rights belong to DreamWorks Animation and Cressida Cowell. Please support the official release.

* * *

**Chapter 6: Big Adjustments **

Stoick sat before the fireplace, poking idly at the logs as his thoughts raced.. Hiccup, or what he assumed was Hiccup, lay unconscious on a bed of furs near the center of the room.

It had been quite a task getting the unconscious dragon to the chief's cabin. Although he was smaller and slimmer than toothless, his weight was still considerable with those thickly muscled legs. At first several of the villagers, including Gobber and himself, had tried to carry the heavy mass. But even with their large muscles, which had been earned through years of battle experience, were no match with the intimidating weight of the dragon. After a few failed attempts at different methods, one of which included a stretcher made of several coats tied together; Toothless had pushed aside the silly men and pulled the unconscious boy onto his back. After that, it was just a matter of making sure he didn't fall off, which had been easy enough with just himself and Gobber, as they made their way back through the trees and into the village.

No matter how many times he played and replayed the scene in his head, he still couldn't quite wrap his mind around it. Hiccup, his boy, had been turned into a dragon. And a Nightfury no less! Even if it was his son, it just….just wasn't natural. After all, dragon's and Vikings had been at odds since long before he was born. Just how was he supposed to react? There wasn't exactly a parenting book that told you what to do in this sort of ridiculous situation.

Stoick felt his shoulders slouch over as he rested his head in his hands with a heavy sigh. Did it even matter? After all, from what he'd seen at the lake his son didn't remember him anymore.

And those eyes, every time he closed his eyes he could see those large emerald green orbs stare at him with so much fear, fear of him. His son was afraid of him. Maybe it had been an instinctual reaction, or maybe he was subconsciously afraid of his father and his nitrous hatred for dragons that drove him to shiver with terror. Had he ever given him a reason not to?

He'd only ever been gruff and dismissive with him, and that was only on good days. Most days it was almost as if Hiccup didn't exist, they just passed each other like strangers in the market.

_What a great family we turned out to be. _He thought with a sour expression, picking his head back up to regard the two dragons currently residing in the center of the room.

Toothless was curled protectively around his former rider, resting his large head on Hiccups back and wrapping his tail over Hiccup's front claws. He'd refused to leave the young dragon's side after they'd arrived back home, so the chief had begrudgingly let the adult Nightfury into his house.

At first Stoick had hated the creature. The Nightfury had been the reason for Hiccups betrayal of his people and long standing tradition. And after the battle he'd been in too much shock to really think about the Nightfury. However, over the last few days, he'd seen so much of the dragon and his love for his son that he'd grown to regard the creature with some respect.

But that still didn't mean he was comfortable with the current situation, to be honest with himself, he wasn't sure if he'd ever be.

Just as the chief turned to stoke the fire, which had shrunken considerably, he heard the sound of someone steering behind him. He felt his heart jump in his chest, his shoulders stiffen, and he suddenly felt nervous, a feeling he'd never had before. He'd been killed his first dragon without batting an eye, step up to the plate and lead his people during the war after his father's passing with utter confidence. But the idea of having to face his son caused his palms to sweat and his heart to race.

He wasn't ready for this, not yet. He needed time; time to think about his position, about Hiccup's position, and sort out his confused emotions before he could face his son.

Getting up he rushed out of the room and into his own, before Hiccup had could have time to wake enough to spot him. Closing the door louder then he'd meant to, he sat down and continued to brood long into the night.

* * *

Toothless watched with mild amusement, and a small amount of pity, as the Large Viking rushed out of the room and slammed the door to his bed chambers. He'd seen the human's back stiffen just as Hiccup had begun to steer, but he couldn't blame the man. Stoick's face had looked pale and distraught for a while now, and Toothless had been expecting the man to break down any moment.

Feeling the young dragon shift against him, Toothless turned his gaze from the man's hasty escape to the drake that was now coming back to full consciousness beside him.

Hiccup lifted his head lazily and blinked the sleep out of his eyes. Slowly, as if he was not quite awake yet, the smaller dragon turned his head to gaze with half lidded eyes at the Nightfury currently coiled around him.

"Toothless?" His formed rider said questioningly as if he wasn't quite sure he was awake.

Toothless made a low rumbling sound in his chest, which was the dragon equivalent to a purr, and nudged the sleepy drake a few times with his nose.

"Okay, Okay bud, I'm awake" Hiccup said chuckling a little as he attempted to lean away from the onslaught of poking and prodding.

"You'd never believe the crazy dream I had" Hiccup said after Toothless had stopped his relentless attack. "I was a Nightfury! Crazy right?" He said shaking his head a little in amusement. "Maybe they were right when they said hanging out with dragons was poison for my mind, okay well maybe they didn't say that but my dad definitely implied it." He said shaking slightly as he chuckled.

"That was no dream little one" Toothless said, letting out a small chuckle of his own. His former rider could be a real scatter brain when it suited him.

Hiccup visibly stiffened, and his eyes widened to round circles as his head whippedaround in shock, now fully awake, to stare open mouthed at Toothless.

"But how….your….I" Toothless watched with amusement at Hiccup stuttered and struggled to speak in coherent sentences. "You're talking! I can understand you! But, but how?'

Toothless arched a scaly brow and regarded Hiccup with a look that implied the question, _are you really asking me that? _

Hiccup felt like his mind was racing as a million questions bubbled to the front of his head. Then as if realizing their surroundings for the first time he started to panic "you're in my house! Why? Does my dad know you're here?" His already wide eyes grew impossibly larger in fear, and he began glancing around the room nervously, as if expecting something to jump out from behind a shadow and attack him.

"Calm down little one." Toothless said, starting to get slightly annoyed with Hiccups endless stream of questions, but keeping his voice calm and reassuring.

Hiccup visibly relaxed a little at hearing Toothless' smooth baritone voice, his shoulders became less tense and his eyes returning to their normal almond shape.

"Yes you father knows I'm here, there is no need to worry about that." Toothless explained "However to answer your first question, I'd suggest you take a look at yourself before I explain"

A confused look passed over Hiccup's face, but then a sudden recognition light his green eyes as memories of the night before came flooding back. Then looking down his suspicions were confirmed as he spotted a pair of sharp claws and dark black scales glinted in the dim light of the hearth.

"So that, that wasn't a dream then," Hiccup said feeling slightly faint again.

Toothless watched with a tight feeling in his chest, at the look of confusion and panic that rolled over the young dragons features. He didn't say anything, knowing that whatever he said would be lost on the boy in his panicked state, instead he let Hiccup calm down on his own.

Hiccup was silent for what seemed like an hour before he spoke again. And when he did it was in a quite almost inaudible voice.

"Why?"

It was only one word but it spoke volumes. Hiccups voice had been shaking slightly and he was trembling when he spoke. His eyes were wide and the fear had once again returned, turning the emerald pools dark.

"I, I don't know, Hiccup. I'm sorry." Toothless said shaking his head. He felt a wave of guilt wash over him but he quickly shoved it down. He couldn't tell Hiccup, not now, and hopefully not ever. Hiccup didn't deserve to go through any more pain, and if he told the young dragon what he'd done…no, Hiccup couldn't know.

"I don't know why you've turned, but I'm glad. You…..you died Hiccup, I almost lost you." Toothless said, and he'd meant it when he said he was glad. He'd felt like a piece of him had been torn out when he saw the lifeless form of his rider laying in that boat. He'd never imagined in his wildest imaginings that he'd ever feel kinship for a human, but when he'd been faced with Hiccup's death it had almost been too much.

"How do you feel?" Toothless asked, trying to distract himself from his memories.

"Like I've been run over by a herd of yak." Hiccup said, his old sarcasm returning and causing Toothless to crack a small smile.

"Well, I'd imagine so." Toothless said with a small chuckle. "Tell me, what do you remember, earlier it seemed you were having a problem with your memory." The adult Nightfury asked, concern evident in his voice.

Hiccup thought for a moment before giving an answer, trying to recollect his memories into stream of images in his mind until he came up blank. A look of pain crossed his face again as he spoke.

"The last thing I remember was trying to talk to my dad, well more like argue, just after the final exam" the look of pain only deepened as he recalled the event. "Then I remember some of the fight with the queen dragon but not much, after that it goes dark, I'm guessing that's when I…well you know." Hiccup finished swallowing past the lump that had formed in his throat when he'd been about to say the word died. It all still felt very unreal to him.

Toothless left his heart relax a little in his chest. Hiccup seemed to have gotten most of his memories back, which he could take as a good sign for now. But then a thought occurred to him that made his heart plummet.

"Hiccup, what do you remember about the battle?" He questioned nervously.

Hiccup looked at Toothless with a confused gaze, probably wondering about the dragon's sudden change in behavior.

"I remember going through the sea stacks, and the fire fight in the clouds, and then slamming head first into the queen's tail when she started to explode, but that's about it. Why? Did I forget something important? Hiccup asked getting worried at Toothless' obvious nervousness.

"No, no nothing important." Toothless said trying to keep his voice even and calm.

Hiccup regarded the dragon with a look of suspicion, narrowing his eyes and trying to will the Nightfury into confessing the truth. But after a moment his mouth stretched wide into a loud yawn. And Toothless seeing his chance, insisted that Hiccup go back to sleep. Hiccup refused, saying he'd slept plenty but was instantly shot down.

"Your body's been through a lot of stress in the last few days. You need to rest Hiccup, we'll talk more about it later I promise. For now just go back to sleep." Toothless argued.

Hiccup finally, after another large yawn, nodded in agreement and laid his head back on his front claws. Within minutes Hiccup was snoring gently beside him, asleep yet again.

Toothless stared down at the sleeping form of his former rider and felt a sadness sweep over him. Hiccup didn't remember His father's apology. From what the young drake had said the last thing he remembered was arguing with his dad, and from the look that had been on Hiccup's face it had been a bad one.

He knew the young boy had never been close with his father, he'd sometimes mumble under his breath when he wasn't paying attention, or stare in the direction of his house with a sour look on his face.

If he didn't remember his father's apology then it was no wonder he'd been so panicked when he'd realized they were at his house. He was afraid of his father.

Chapter end

* * *

A/N: Alright I worked way passed the time I should have been in bed working on this :P I was trying to get one chapter out this week but I also wanted to make sure I didn't rush it and publish a crappy chapter just so i would have something to publish. Hopefully you all like it. My editor seemed to so that's a plus. Don't worry I know a few things are becoming repetitive, as was pointed out to me by my editor, I'll be fixing that in the next chapter so hopefully we wont have anymore problems. As always I love reading all of my reviews, and greatly appreciate the support, it inspires me to keep writing. So review's are always welcome as are critiques, however if your going to be rude please keep it to yourself. So far everyone's been great so I'm not worried. Until next chapter bye bye. :)

-Tsuchihana


End file.
